France, Napoleon I Bonaparte and Marie Louise of Austria (as Napoleon's wife) - gold snuff box, 1810-1814 - very rare

Napoleon I Bonaparte on April 1, 1810 entered into marriage with Marie Louise of Austria, daughter of Franz II of Habsburg, the last ruler of the Holy Empire.

Marie Louise served as Empress of France until April 6, 1814, the day of her abdication.

The offered snuff box, is made entirely of gold, in the manner characteristic of Parisian goldsmiths at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. It has the shape of a small round container with a diameter of 35 and a height of 20 mm. The snuff box consists of two elements - the main part (base) and the lid. The total weight is 37.18 g. On the inside of the snuff box, on its bottom, side wall and lid, two goldsmith marks were stamped each.

The first - in an oval a chicken with the number "3" above it - indicates the purity of the gold used to make the snuff box. Punts of this type were used in French goldsmithing in 1798-1809.

The second goldsmith's mark - in the outline of a rhombus, the large letters "EPR" covered with a Phrygian cap, is the author's mark of the maker of the snuff box.

The small size and subtle and very rich engraving indicate that its wearer was probably a woman.

The most important element of the snuff box is the engraving on its lid. In the central part, surrounded by rich decoration, there is a heraldic shield, symbolizing the merger of the Bonaparte family with the Habsburg-Lorraine family, which took place as a result of Napoleon's marriage to Marie Louise. On the background of the heraldic mantle, the Bonaparte coat of arms is placed on the left, while the Habsburg-Lorraine coat of arms is placed on the right.

The date of the wedding, as well as the first mentioned punt, indicate with high probability that the snuff box was made on the occasion of Napoleon's marriage to Marie Louise.

The snuff box has a few delicate damages: on the lid, a slight bump on the lower right side of the coat of arms, and a 1.5 cm dent on the bottom.